Saturday, August 31, 2024

8-31-2024

Good Morning All,

          Psalm 62:8: “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.”

     Did you or do you keep a diary?  Do you have a place where you write down all those thoughts that you have and then lock them away so no one else will see it?  When I was much younger, it was common for girls to have diaries and to pour their hearts out in the diary.  They would lament over boys and teachers and friends and enemies and what today we call “frenemies” and only the most trusted friends ever saw the inside of the diary.  Some of the boys did but not many.  People like to have a way to “unload” their thoughts and feelings and not just teenage girls.  Psychologists still recommend using this method to relieve stress. 

    The origin of the court jester in the royal courts was one of being someone who the king would talk to and tell him all his innermost thoughts and fears.  The court jester was then one of the few who could speak bluntly to the king and get to keep his head.  The court jester served as a confessor to the king.  The king would confess all his thoughts, ideas, plans, desires, fears or whatever and the court jester would be a sounding board for the king. The priests and bishops reported to the Pope in Rome and the other lords and ladies often had mischief and schemes afoot.  We all need some way to eliminate the frustrations and fears that we have, and we need someone or somewhere to get rid of the burden.

    Our verse for this morning speaks to us of how God is to be our confessor or our diary.  Pour your hearts out before him; what an amazing phrase and an incredible promise yet we rarely use it.  We try to hide things from God.  I don’t know why we do that, but we do.  We all have something, some sin; that we just refuse to let go of that we refuse to confess and yet God knows all our secrets.  When you and I confess our sins, or admit our fears, or acknowledge our weaknesses to God; we are not telling him anything new; God already knows.  Yet by confessing our sins and our other shortcomings we benefit.  You see as long as we hang onto those sins and those fears, the devil and our old sinful nature has stuff to throw at us stuff to make us feel ashamed and unworthy of God’s gifts.  As long as we think we are hiding that sin from God we have a 100-pound weight on our back, and we just keep walking getting bogged down by the weight of our sin.  And remember this is a sin which God has already forgiven we just don’t want to let go so the devil just keeps picking at it like a scab from a cut, the devil just keeps picking and inflaming it and causing us pain.

   God tells us over and over,” it doesn’t have to be that way.”  Confess your sins, or as the Psalmist wrote ‘pour out your heart’ and God will give you refuge.  God sent his one and only Son to die a horrific death because he loves you; how much more proof do we need?  Pour out your heart; your sins and fears alike and let God deal with them.

Gracious Father, we are slow to turn to you at all times and we miss so many of your tender mercies because of it.  Give us the wisdom to trust in You at all times that we may live the life that you desire for us.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray.  Amen

God’s Peace,        

Pastor Bret      

Friday, August 30, 2024

8-30-2024

Good Morning All,

      Habakkuk 1:5: “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded.  For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.”

     How many of us have ever made the statement, “Now I’ve seen everything!!”  What the internet, the reality TV shows, the funny video TV shows, with a few hundred satellite TV stations to try and keep you occupied; we think we have seen it all.  And when we think of what there is to see, it is really fascinating.  We can watch a squirrel water ski.  We can see dancing babies.  There is an internet site which lets you choose from watching a goldfish, a crackling fire, clouds going by or children playing all day long 24 hours a day.  And this is just the stuff we want to watch; this doesn’t account for the things people do that I really do not want to see.  We live at a time when we think we have seen and experienced everything.  Yet how can we keep saying that “we’ve seen everything” over and over?

    In our Bible verse, God is telling the people of Israel that they not only have not seen everything; they wouldn’t believe it even if God had told them in advance what was going to happen.  The people were crying for justice, and they saw no way it would occur, but God delivered justice in a way that they did not understand.

    The really amazing thing about this verse is that God is working today in our lives and in our world in a way that He did tell us about and many still don’t believe.  It started when God sent His Spirit to His people, to his Church.  God works through His Church.  God works in amazing ways through His Church.  This is how God chooses to work in the world today through His Spirit infused redeemed children.  We are God’s hands; we are God’s masks.  We are the way which God makes miracles happen.  When we comfort friends, we when we help neighbors, when we help those who cannot help themselves, God is at work. 

    We keep working for the Lord, serving Him in all ways right up until the time when we will have seen everything.  When Jesus returns in all His glory and every knee will bow and every mouth will confess that Jesus is Lord then we will have seen everything.  Today we live at a time when we are living under God’s grace and are approaching the time of God’s glory.  For grace is glory begun and glory is grace completed.  We celebrate God’s wonderful gifts and his glorious promise.  God is doing a work in our day that many will not believe.  But for us, those who have faith and trust in the promise of our salvation; it will provide a glorious end to a grace filled life and God even told us so.

Father of all goodness, your works are truly wondrous and astonishing.  Give us the surety of your love and the certainty of the hope of salvation.  Lead us to be those who live those wondrous lives of grace; touching those whom you seek to save and giving comfort to those who need it the most.  To You be all honor and glory!!  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Thursday, August 29, 2024

8-29-2024

Good Morning All,

   Matthew 15: 26-27: “And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”   She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 

    This is a portion of the story of the Canaanite woman and her faith.  She came to Jesus looking for a miracle for her daughter and the disciples tried to send her away.  It appears that Jesus is as well as He tells her He came for the lost sheep of Israel, and she was not one of them.  She continues to pray and plead with Jesus until He relents.  Then Jesus praises her faith and heals her daughter.

    To many this seems to be a story about how nagging will win the day.  If you just keep pestering God long enough, He will give in and give you what you want.  But that is not what is going on here.  This is a better case of playing “who am I in the parable?”  Whenever we play this game, we always want to be the good guy.  We always want to be the Good Samaritan when we read that story; we want to be the example of goodness and right faith.  But if we are honest; are we the good guys or are we the foolish guys?

    In this story we want to be the Canaanite woman who, even though seemingly rejected by Jesus, continues to plead, and beg our Lord for His mercy.  Is that really us?  Do we continue to pray and pray until God answers our prayer?  Or do we give up and walk away?

   The unfortunate truth is that we are usually more like the disciples were in this story.  Eating a feast at the table with Jesus; spilling and wasting enough food that a poor outsider saw it as enough to live off of.  Isn’t that really how we are?  We receive such an abundance of blessings from God that we fail to see how great they are and then we begrudge someone else who seeks just a scrap of the blessings that we have.  Most have multiple TVs in their homes, most have multiple cell phones, and many have multiple computers.  We have multiple vehicles and spend a lot of money on entertainment.  We spend thousands of dollars on health care because we are overweight while a huge chunk of the world slowly starves to death.

    Does this mean we are bad people because we have wealth?  Not necessarily, wealth is a gift from God, but do we give thanks for that wealth like we should, or have we reached a point where we feel entitled to this prosperity?  We need to be thankful to God for all that He has given to us, and we need to pray that we do not become so hung up on what we have that wealth becomes our god.  We need to see God’s hand at work in our lives and give thanks to the Lord.  Then we need to look for ways to share God’s love and blessings with those around us both near and far.

 Dear Heavenly Father, too often we sit at your table and feast and do not see the great and wonderful blessings that we have.  We confess that all too often we are like the disciples who assume blessings and dismiss those who are in need.  We ask for your divine mercy.  Give us strength to follow You and show mercy to those in need.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

8-28-2024

Good Morning All,

   Isaiah 43:1; “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”

    A few days ago, I went through the dreaded “cancel call.” Somehow, a credit card was hacked, and a bunch of purchases were attempted in New York. So, first I dialed the 800 number. Then I entered my 16-digit credit card number. Then the 9-digit case number that was assigned to me. Then the last 4-digits of my social security, then my 10-digit phone number, then my 5-digit zip code (I was glad they didn’t want the +4 number). Of course, a couple tries I hit the wrong number, so the call was ended and I had to start over again. Finally, I talked to a real person, and we got things cleaned up.

    Through this whole process, I realized, for the most part, I am just a number. If you go to some stores, or the DMV, you take a number and wait your turn. I have an insurance number, we used to have a farm number, if you send in a warranty card, you are a number for the product you use. I remember when I was in high school, one “futurist” said that the time would come when a newborn baby would be given a social security number and a phone number and that would forever be his identity. I remember thinking how foolish this was at the time but not anymore. How long before we just introduce ourselves as, “Hi. I’m 901-555-1212, how are you?”

    It really is nice to go where everyone does know your name. It is nice to have people who know you, not an account number but a real, live, breathing, emotional, spiritual being. That you have joys, fears, desires, and dreams. You exist and you matter. Into this existence, God comes to us, and he speaks this statement, one of the most powerful and hopeful sentences in all of Scriptures. “I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” Is there a greater sentence of joy and hope? You are not a number in some massive heavenly computer, rather; you are a beloved child of God. You are known, by your name! In knowing you by name, God knows everything deep-seated fear, a cry of pain, every lost moment, everything which causes us to suffer. He takes this and draws you into a fatherly hug and comforts you with his amazing love. He calls you by name and comforts you. He holds you and whispers your name and tells you to “be still, be calm, nothing can hurt you, you are mine.” What a promise! What an amazing truth for us in a world that seems to be more and more frightening every day. So, whenever you hear something that scares you; remember, don’t be afraid. The God who made everything has you; you are His!

Heavenly Father, in your mercy, you bring us to You. You call us by name as a Father speaks to his children. Keep us in your loving arms that we may know your peace. Speak to those who are especially in need of your loving care. Calm their hearts and relieve their fears. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

8-27-2024

Good Morning All,

     2 Cor. 1:3-4: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

    The gift of giving comfort is a remarkable gift.  Some just know how to do it; some learn it.  We usually learn it the best when we experience life as this passage describes.  We experience some pain in life, and we are comforted by someone who has experienced a similar event earlier.  The person who most often gives the greatest comfort at the time of the death of a spouse is someone who has already lost a spouse.  The person who offers the greatest comfort at the time of illness is someone who has experienced that same illness.  But we can all offer comfort for we have all experienced some pain somewhere along the way and received comfort.  We have all been touched and comforted by someone who, to us at that time, was the “mask of God.”  We thought it was a neighbor or a friend, but it was God working through that person to comfort you.

    This is why God wants us to always be ready to offer comfort.  It may be in the form of a hug or a kind word; it might just be that being present without a word spoken brings that sense of comfort.  In that way, we are the “mask of God;” the people will see you, but it is God, through His Spirit in you that is reaching out to offer this person comfort.  Jesus told his disciples that the Father would “send the Comforter to them.”  This Comforter, the Holy Spirit, works through the redeemed children of God to bring comfort to each other and to this lost world which so desperately needs to be comforted.

   So, as we look back on what God has done in our lives, it should help to strengthen our faith for what God will continue to do into the future.  While God does not promise us a life without difficulties; He does promise that He will always be with us.  We should never place conditions on the comfort that we give for God places no conditions on the comfort that we receive.  Always remember that our ultimate comfort is knowing that someday we will be with God for eternity.

 God of all comfort, we often fall short of bringing peace and comfort to this world; forgive us when we fail.  Give us courage and confidence to be a comforter to those around us; especially those who we know and see are hurting.  Do not let us walk by but break our hearts and move us with compassion to love those who you have called your own, especially the least of these my brothers.  In the Precious Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.        

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Monday, August 26, 2024

8-26-2024

Good Morning All,

     Ephesians 6:18: “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.”

     We, as God’s redeemed children, have access to the greatest source of power that the world cannot even fathom.  We have the power of prayer.  Prayer is one of the gifts that God gave to his Church; the “royal priesthood.”  Prayer, as a gift from God, comes with three elements to it.  It comes at God’s command.  It comes with His promise, and it comes with His blessing.

   God commands us to pray, not because God needs it but because we need it.  God knows that we need to be in constant contact with Him.  God knows that the devil, even though defeated, will continually poke and prod at us.  The devil will always whisper in our ears to try and cause doubt.  Prayer keeps us connected to God.  That is why we are to pray constantly; we are to be constantly connected to God.

   With this command comes a promise.  God promises to answer our prayers!!  The Creator of the universe takes the time to listen to us.  God the Father inclines his ear to us.  He leans down to listen closely to what we say, like a loving grandparent leans in close to hear every word of a grandchild. We have that promise.

   Yet God not only promises to hear our prayer, in that hearing is the promise of action, a promise to respond. With the promise to hear our prayers comes the blessing of answering our prayers.  These prayers are answered when we pray according to God’s will.  We are to pray to advance God’s will.  When we pray like that, God answers.  When we pray to move God’s will forward, when God’s house on earth, the church, is truly a house of prayer; heaven moves with all its potent plans as God’s people are clothed with the triumphant victory wardrobe and the world sees results.  Prayer is at the heart of the sanctified life with power to change the world.  The Word of God; in the hearts of men (and women) changes lives and that cannot be stopped.  We express this change through prayer.

    So, we pray; we pray for all the saints now and to come.  Just as the saints that went before us prayed for us; we need to pray for those who are to come as well.  Pray and see what happens.  Set up a prayer group and agree to pray at the same time every day and share your prayers, the thanksgivings, the intercessions, and the supplications.  Prayer is our greatest source of power, and we rarely use it.

Lord Jesus, just as your disciples asked you to teach them to pray; we ask that you teach us.  And yet as they fell asleep and were unable to pray; we too fall asleep.  Forgive us our frailties and our weaknesses.  Empower us to go forward praying for our needs and the needs of all the saints that Your Holy Will shall advance.  In Your holy and powerful name, we pray, Amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret      

Sunday, August 25, 2024

8-25-2024

Good Morning All,

     Col. 2:6-7: “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 
rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

     Have you ever tried to pull or dig a bush out of the ground?  We have a dying/almost dead tree that we hope to get rid of.  It is going to be a bear to get out.  The roots are probably deeper than the tree is tall.  We’ll pull and dig and probably rip up the lawn to dig it out.  It is rooted well.  It will probably come back next year.  It went down to find water and nutrients.  It did this in order to survive the dry summers and the tough falls.  It stores nutrients in the roots in order to survive the winters. 

    Scriptures tell us we are to be the same way when it comes to our faith.  We are to be like a tree planted by the waters with roots down deep trusting in God’s grace and mercy to see us though.  God’s Word and sacraments nourish us and sustain us.  Even in our lives, when we feel that we are in the greatest of droughts; God gives us the faith to pull through.  It is still a drought; it still gives us pain, but God sees us through.  When we are rooted deep in the Lord, we will survive.  The roots which we have because of faith will hold us secure.  The world may cause parts of us to be damaged, but we will survive.  Our faith is established and because of it we can live a life of thanksgiving.

     Too often we see each day as a lifetime.  What occurs in one day, we see as forever; yet it is only one day just a fraction of our life and an infinitesimal part of our eternal existence.  God looks at you and sees a child that he loves for eternity.  God laid the foundation of the earth after He prepared heaven for you.  We should give thanks for this and all of God’s blessings on us.  Most we take for granted; we don’t see them as gifts to be thankful for but as something we deserve.  God’s grace leads us on.  He keeps us rooted by faith in the living waters which flow from his mercy and nourishes us with his grace.

    We are rooted in Christ, by faith, so we can live the life that God gives to us.  We are the tree that is planted by the water. A life that may have its challenges and its pains but a life that is rooted in the promise of life eternal with Him in heaven. A promise that we can cling to, that will nourish us, give us hope and give us the peace that we know how it ends. It ends with us in the eternal kingdom of our Heavenly Father.

Father of all good gifts, we know that your will is done with or without us; yet you have given us the blessings of prayer.  We ask you to send your Spirit of comfort to those who are in pain and to those who are lost.  Keep us firmly rooted in Your Word always trusting in your promise.  All this we boldly ask in the Name of Jesus, Our Lord, Amen

God’s Peace ,

Pastor Bret

Saturday, August 24, 2024

8-24-2024

Good Morning All,

   Psalm 91:1: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”

    When life becomes difficult, where do we go?  When you are a kid in school, you usually look for an older brother to look out for you and to keep the bullies at bay.  As you get older, you count on your friends to watch out for you.  You never get to far away from them, especially when the tough guys are close by.  You hide in their shadow as much as possible in order to stay safe.

    God offers us a similar safety but played for higher stakes.  Notice how the Psalmist uses two different names to describe God.  First the Psalmist uses the name Elyon (which means “Most High” or “Most exalted”) and then he uses the name Shaddai (which means “provider” or “all- sufficient”).  So, in the first part we dwell in the shelter of the Greatest God, the God above all other gods; the all-knowing, all-powerful, always-present, eternal God.  We stay in his tent.  We lounge at his table.  If you think of this in terms of a middle Eastern king, we would eat dates, fresh roasted lamb or the fatted calf, leeks, pomegranates, cucumbers, fresh bread, and the finest wines.  We would sleep on luxurious silk sheets and drink a mixture of milk and honey.  Then we would be protected by the host who would even risk his life to keep you safe from the enemies that attack.  All with God’s love to invite us and encourage us and with His power to protect us from the devil’s harm.

    The unbeliever has no clue at the grace that God provides for us as long as we dwell in his shelter and abide in his shadow.  We only get in trouble when we leave the tent and go off on our own thinking we can stand up to the devil and the world.  We soon find out we are no match for these evil forces.  We are only safe when we dwell in the shelter of the Most High.  We are only protected while we abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  What a wonderful gift!  What a wonderful promise!  We are to view this lavish meal (whatever yours is!!!) as just a small, microscopic hint to feast we will share in heaven.  Take the most elaborate meal you have ever seen or experienced, it isn’t even close.  We get what the unbeliever can’t even dream of.  Dwell safe in the shelter of the Most High, enjoy his meal and the time that you spend with Him through our prayers and praise. 

 God of all Power, you speak and the world trembles and shakes.  Forgive us for our sins.  Strengthen us so that we are ready for your hospitality; we are ready to dine with you.  As you nourish us with your heavenly meal; use our strength to serve in your kingdom.  Through Jesus Precious Name we pray, Amen.

God’s Peace

Pastor Bret

Friday, August 23, 2024

8-23-2024

Good Morning All,

   Psalm 121:1-2: “I will lift up my eyes to the hills, From where does my help come?  My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” 

     There are nights that I stay up late and watch the Western channel.  Most of the good ones are from the late 1930’s until the early 1960’s.  The first good guy kisses the horse and rides off into the sunset and the second good guy gets the girl and the bad guys get what they deserve.  It doesn’t matter if it is John Wayne or Glen Ford or Audie Murphy or Lash LaRue (ask your dad or granddad); the basic story was the same in each genre of western movies.  I like the ones that are about the early cavalry riders and the settlement of the west.  One of the biggest impacts on the settling of the west was the introduction of the Sharp’s repeating rifle in the Civil War.  This allowed a mounted soldier to fire multiple shots without reloading.  There are many movies about how the army is trying to stop these repeating rifles from getting into the hands of renegade warriors or banditos or whomever.  At about the ¾ mark of the movie, we always have the good guys pinned down, under fire, in a box canyon, running out of water and ammunition.  One brave soul rides out to get help and just in the nick of time, usually the second good guy is wounded and about to die; you hear the faint sound of a trumpet and then the sound of horses running and then we see a cloud of dust and the cavalry has arrived!!  The bad guys are chased away, and all is safe again.

    How many times in your life have you been waiting for the cavalry to arrive?  Most of us have had this experience.  We realize that events are out of our hands and out of our control.  Maybe it was when a loved one was severely ill.  Maybe it was when you looked outside to see it didn’t rain, again.  Maybe your employer is “downsizing” or “going a different direction” both of which means you are no longer working for them.  Then it seems that as one of these happens, other things pile on.  It isn’t raining and your landlord wants more rent.  You lose your job, and the car quits running.  Your spouse is ill, and the insurance isn’t quite as good as promised.  There are times when it seems like we are pinned down, under fire, in a box canyon, running out of water, ammunition and hope.  We look around and where does our help come from?

    Our help comes from the Lord.  It doesn’t come from the cavalry, rather it comes from Mt. Calvary.  Jesus supplies us with our needs.  It is at times like these that we best see that our salvation comes from outside of our lives.  It comes from God and is given to us because of his great love and mercy.  We never merit saving; we never deserve the cavalry; we never deserve Calvary, but God delivers to us our salvation, our hope.  Situations here on earth and in our lives may change; we may work somewhere else next year.  We may no longer have a living spouse, but we always have God’s promise of eternal life and the comfort of His love to surround us.  That is where our help comes from.  The God of grace and mercy provides.

Gracious Father, you save us from the evil of the devil even though we are not worthy of it.  For this we are forever grateful.  Keep us safe and give us that peace that only You can provide and help us to share that peace with those around us.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, Amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Thursday, August 22, 2024

8-22-2024

Good Morning All,

      1 John 3:1: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

     Many people take vacations in the summer.  They usually go to “see” something.  Perhaps we go see a professional baseball game or we go to a national park or perhaps we just go to an area of the country where we have not been to; just to see what it is like.  While what we are planning on seeing is important, for most of the way, what we see is out the window of our car.  That is why when I travel; I prefer to take the lesser roads and not the interstate.  Part of this was watching Charles Kuralt and his “On the Road” series as a kid and the desire to see what else is going on in the world.  We see the world go by and we see it as it is, warts and all.  We see the broken houses next to the new “Mcmansions” or the abandoned farm site with the leaning barn next to the multi-bin multi-shop immaculately kept farmsteads across the road.  It is how we see things, mostly through a window, usually driving down the road somewhere.

    Our passage for this morning speaks of seeing.  We see what kind of love God has for us.  It is a love that the world does not understand, nor can it reproduce it.  The world’s love is conditional.  It will love you as long as you behave and reciprocate.  It will love you as long as you have something to share or allow a gain for the other.  We see God’s love through a window; it is the window of the cross.  When we look into the window of the cross, we see what kind of love the Father has given us.  We see God incarnate, Jesus, suffering and bearing the weight and the cost of our sins even as we were enemies with God.  Yet in His unfathomable grace, God made you, his child.  He looked at you and claimed you just the way you were.  He washed you and fed you and clothed you with new clothes.  That is our God.  We see that by looking through the cross of Christ to see it. 

    As we travel through life we will pass by and through many events which we may or may not comprehend.  Those events may never add up.  Death, at times, makes no sense.  Life, at other times, makes no sense.  Suffering never makes sense.  We need to see the love of God, through the window of the cross, and then move to share that window seat with others who need it as well.  You and I cannot touch the whole world, but we can touch one person, and we need to do so.  Share the Gospel of Jesus with one person.  We are part of God’s solution; we are partners in the ministry of reconciliation.  Look through the window and see how much the Father loves us and then go and share that love with someone else.

Gracious Lord, your grace rolls over us like a river and carries us into your loving arms and presence.  Use us to bring others into your river of life and mercy so that they too will be able to look through the window of the cross and see how much the Father loves us.  In our Savior’s precious name we pray, Amen.

God’s peace,

Pastor Bret

Wednesday, August 21, 2024

8-21-2024

Good Morning All,

      Gen. 1:1: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

     There are a handful of verses from the Bible that most people, who any biblical knowledge at all, can quote from memory.  This is one of those verses.  Yet it is one of the most ignored verses in the Bible.  In the first verse of the entire Bible, we see what our relationship with God should be.  God is the creator, and we are the created; we are the creatures that fit into the creation.  Yet most people are truly offended if you tell them this.  Try and tell someone who is commenting on how great mankind is and how we can do anything if we just put our mind to it.  Tell them that we are creatures in God’s creation but in this simple verse, 10 words long, that is exactly what we declare.

    Now it is true that God created humans with a special purpose, to care for creation and to serve God, and given something that the animals do not have, a living soul, God created us to be the “image-bearers” for him here on earth.  Humans were supposed to tend the creation, to have dominion over it, and to be in worshipful fellowship with God.  But man couldn’t live with this.  Remember what the serpent told Eve, “you will be like God” so Eve ate, and Adam did too.  Sin entered the world because Adam and Eve were not happy being the creature; they wanted to be like the creator.  All sin reflects back to this verse.  The First Commandment springs from this verse.  Why should we have no other gods before Him; because He is the Creator God who made everything out of nothing. 

    In the Book of Revelations, there is a description of the Throne of God.  As you and I go through life, our struggle with the devil is who is sitting on that throne?  Do I see God on that throne, or do I place myself on that throne?  Do I see God as the Sovereign God who rules over all He has created, or do I have a “different” theory.  No matter what that theory is, evolution, aliens, new age religions, everything else is about me sitting on God’s throne and refusing to accept that God is there.  In essence, we are rejecting our own human creaturely status and have lost everything.

    God, in His mercy, sent Jesus to die to reconcile us back to Him.  God continually calls us back to Himself, out of love, to return to our true nature to be the “image-bearer” in this world.  Since sin is still prevalent, God calls His Church to be partners or helpers in this reconciliation process.  He empowers us through the Holy Spirit to again be the “image-bearer” for Him in this broken world.  We continually fall short, but God continues to call.  This cycle or rhythm is what some call worship.  God calls us and pronounces us forgiven, we rejoice in His forgiveness and go forth only to fall short again.  We repeat this cycle until the Lord returns.  “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” He is the creator, and we are the creatures.  It really is that simple. 

O Holy Creator God, we, your poor creatures, continually fail to serve You as we should.  We ask for Your mercy.  We celebrate because of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice; we know we are forgiven.  Lead us, empower us, and give us the will to serve as your “image-bearer” to a world of pain and suffering.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret           

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

8-20-2024

Good Morning All,

  Proverbs 27:1; "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring".

    Are you the type of person who has planned for all your work to begin tomorrow?  Will you begin to exercise more and eat less tomorrow?  Are you going to get up early and read the Bible, tomorrow?  Are you going to show more patience to your children or love for your spouse, tomorrow?  Are you going to visit a lonely neighbor tomorrow?  We put a lot on our plate; we plan a full day as long as it is tomorrow.  Sometimes, we actually do plan to do it tomorrow, but something comes up; an activity or event that was unplanned suddenly changes everything.  I may plan to take the kids to the park tomorrow but if it rains, then what?  Well, there is the next tomorrow.  I may plan to visit my sick, elderly aunt tomorrow but if the Lord calls her home tonight, then what?  There is no tomorrow.  Tomorrow is gone and all my boasting about tomorrow is lost.

   We live in a time when business and commerce go on 24 hours a day; there is no tomorrow only today.  We need to share God's love with those around us in the same fashion.  Remember that there is a time and a place for love; it is at any time and in any place.  God's love for us is overwhelming and is an everyday occurrence.  We should show this same love to those around us especially those whom God has given to us as family, friends, neighbors, and fellow church members.  We are God's children, He has plans for us, a purpose for our lives.  We should live our lives on purpose, not just by accident.  Time is a gift we never get back and should never waste so you it to the fullest, show God's love to others as freely as He has showed it to you.

    God gives us the time. There are 168 hours in a week. We sleep about 50-60 of them. The rest is time to use. We have time to do the thing in life that is most important to us. We have the time, but do we have the right priority? I hear it often, “when I get time, I will go to church.” Never assume there is a tomorrow. Of all the funerals that I have officiated, I have never heard anyone say, “I spent all the time with him that I would have wanted.” Everyone wishes they had more time. We do not have more time; we have the time we have right now. Do not waste it, especially on petty disagreements that, in the end, are so worthless. God gives you time. He created time so we could have a life to live. He created time for you and me to show his love to those around us. Don’t wait, do not procrastinate. Share God’s love first and foremost then, with the time that is left, start over.

Father in heaven, give us the wisdom and courage to share your love with those around us today.  Let us speak the kind word, let us be the friendly face to those who may be in need.  Move us to love as if it is our last day here on this earth.  Move us to show Your compassion on all.  In Jesus' Precious Name we pray, Amen.

God's Peace,

Pastor Bret

Monday, August 19, 2024

8-19-2024

Good Morning All,

      Exodus 24:17: “Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel.”

    Why don’t we see this anymore?  Why don’t we see this miraculous display of God’s majesty?  It is often referred to as the “Shekinah.” It is that awesome appearance of God. It is usually associated with clouds, fire, thunder, and smoke. When we think of the story that surrounds the plagues of Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, the leading through the wilderness with the pillar of cloud and fire; when we think of the awe and majesty of God’s very presence at Mount Sinai we think, “now that is what God should be like.”  “I could believe in a God like that really easy.  I would never leave a God like that.”  “Just give me a God with thunderbolts and lightening and make Him very, very frightening to all my (His) enemies.”

   You would think that wouldn’t you?  It must have been so easy for those early Israelites to believe in God; they saw Him and the mighty works that He did.  Yet a mere 8 chapters later in Exodus, in chapter 32, while they are still camped at the bottom of Mt. Sinai, they fall away and worship a golden calf.  Too often, our pleas for God to do something, is really a call for God to do what I want, when I want and to whom I want it done.  Ultimately, we don’t want God to show His power so we can have faith; we want God to show His power so we can try and control God to do our will.  We are trying to trade places with God and place ourselves on His holy throne and rule all.  That is too often the “proof “we seek.

    God used his power and strong arm to free the Israelites from the Egyptians. They would not let the Israelites leave easily. It would take the destruction of Egypt, its gods, and its Pharoah in order for Israel to be free. So, God used his mighty arm to destroy but also to protect. God protected Israel with his mighty arm but also with his loving provision as well. Yet we need much more than simple displays of power.

    Fortunately, God knows better than all of us.  He acts in ways that are designed to reconcile back to Him with love and not total fear.  He doesn’t try to scare us into faith; rather He leads us back to Him with “a still, quiet voice” a voice that offers hope and comfort.  God’s majesty is all around; all we need to do is look.  God’s love is revealed to us in the empty tomb of Christ.  We should then respond to the world with love, as God did to us, and leave the “thunderbolts and lightening” to old rock songs.

God of power and might, we give you thanks for your great power, but we especially give you thanks for your great love.  Through this love, you redeemed us and made us your children. Move us to share that love with one person today.  In the precious Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

Sunday, August 18, 2024

8-18-2024

Good Morning All,

          Galatians 3:28; “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ.”

     Why is it that we always seem to look for the differences at first?  Why do we seek those things which we use to divide and separate?  It often starts out innocently enough: it is how we identify individuals.  We see Suzy as the short, blonde girl and Billy as the tall red head.  But all too soon we take those differences and use them to hold others down or try to push them back; all in an effort to get to the front.  So, we take those differences, and we begin to categorize people.  This group is greedy; this group is lazy, this group is selfish, this group is made up of criminals.  (I didn’t list who, but you probably filled in the blanks).  Instead of looking at what we have in common and trying to build on that, we build walls to keep some back from us or out of our sight or away from us. Make no mistake, this is the devil and our sinful nature at work. The devil wants us to separate, not unite. By separating, we lose sight of our God. We are alone, struggling to survive and seeing no hope, no help, no community, only individuals who we do not trust.

       Yet when God looks at people, He sees one thing, a sinful creature.  He sees a creature that he loves dearly, a creature that is unique and special to him. And this creature is lost and suffering every moment of every day. He sees his children, hurting and in need of his care. Before God we are all the same.  There is no difference; we are all sinners deserving eternal punishment, all sinners whom he chooses to redeem.  For by God’s grace, God sees only righteousness and holiness when He looks at His redeemed children.  All God sees is Christ’s atoning sacrifice.  He sees us as one in Christ, holy and undefiled.  We are not male or female, tall or short, fat, or skinny, black, brown, white, yellow, purple or orange; we are the redeemed children of God.  That is how God sees us and that is how we should see our fellow believer.  We are all the same.  We are forgiven sinners who live by God’s grace and mercy.  We are his redeemed children who God desires to live as his children, sharing the love that he has given to us to others. We are to be light in darkness, warmth in the cold, hope in a hopeless world, and the source of compassion in a broken creation. We need to tear down the walls we build and see what God sees, forgiven creatures.

Father in heaven, too often we let our sinful nature lead us into prejudice and suspicion.  Forgive us for our sin.  Guide us Lord to remove the walls and the barriers which we build between us and our fellow believers.  Cause us to see them as our brothers in Christ and to feel their pain and to share in their joy to your glory here on earth.  In Jesus’ precious Name we pray, Amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

Saturday, August 17, 2024

8-17-2024

Good Morning All,

    John 13:17: “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”   

    This verse comes from what we call the “Upper Room” discourse.  Jesus is spending the last night with his disciples before he is betrayed by Judas.  He was giving them the instructions, the guidance, and the hope that they would need to manage these next few days.  In the first part of chapter 13, we see Jesus as he demonstrates true humility, he washes the feet of his disciples.  In the next section he teaches about holiness. This is about separating yourself from the world. Not by moving to a monastery or into the hills but separating yourself by loving one another. And love in the Bible is always about doing something that benefits your neighbor. 

    In our verse for today, Jesus tells us about happiness or being blessed.  Our happiness is based in holiness and humility.  We are given Jesus’ holiness so that we can stand before God, so we can come to God in prayer in confidence.  This is given to us; we do nothing to earn it.  Because of this fact, we should be humble, humble before God. And being humble means to know, and live, that we are not capable of our own salvation or righteousness. We are totally dependent upon God’s good grace and favor. This is the heart of the humble man.

    But we see that knowing what is right isn’t enough to keep us happy; we must put this knowledge into practice.  Throughout the Bible, we see how most of the words used are action words not passive words. We are called to be “doers” living out our faith every day. Jesus has just shown his disciples a lesson in humility, in serving others; in placing the needs of our neighbor ahead of our own.  The world will ask,” how many people serve you?”  God asks us,” how many do you serve?’  How many do we help?  How many feet have you washed today?  While this may sound strange to the world, God gives us peace and happiness in our task.  We have no great effort to do to earn our salvation, we have no great work to do to battle the devil; Jesus has done this already for us.  Now that we are saved, we are free to enjoy his grace and to share his love with those around us.  This is part of God's plan for you; to enjoy the life that He gives you.  So be happy with God's blessings!

    This opportunity to serve is never far away. You do not have to go on a mission trip to Central America. Your mission trip can be with your children or grandchildren. It can be teaching Sunday School or babysitting for your neighbor down the road. Jesus washed his disciples’ feet; nothing real earth shattering in this, just a simple act of kindness before his next act of love, going to the cross. Simple acts of love, done in humility and kindness will fill your heart with blessed peace.

Lord Jesus, we are too often unhappy because we do not place our trust in you.  Forgive us for our weaknesses and sins.  Give us strength to follow you with all humility and holiness.  Use us as your hands to serve others so that we know true happiness in your grace. In your name we pray, Amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Friday, August 16, 2024

8-16-2024

Good Morning All,

    Hebrews 10:24-25;” And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

    We have many ways to use the word “church.”  It can be a place as in “I am going to church.”  It can mean an activity as in “what time is church?”  It can mean an institution as in “the church supports life ministries.” 

    But these all miss the meaning that Christ uses.  When Christ speaks of the church; he sometimes refers to it as a family.  We are children of God, and we are brothers and sisters of Christ and of each other.  We are joined to each other through our Baptism into the Body of Christ. And like a family, it is good to get together with each other.  It is a time to share the joy in the family.  We should view each member of our church as our own flesh and blood. We should be excited at their joys and successes. We should commiserate and console, in their times of sorrow and struggle. We celebrate new life, new wonders, and new joys. The whole family shares in that joy.  When a member of the family is sick, we gather to offer comfort.  When a family member dies, we gather to mourn together and to give each other hope.  We gather on holidays and share meals and gifts but mostly laughter and love.

   Now you never have to go to a family holiday event; you are still in the family but look at what you miss.  You miss the love and joy, the camaraderie and fellowship, the common history and future are all missed when we stay away from our family. You miss out on the joy that family can bring. Yes, we as sinful being can struggle in our relationships, but God gives us family, both by birth and by rebirth to join us in our journey of life. “It is not good that man should be alone.” We are designed, by God, to be a people of society. We are designed to be with others. We are designed to live as a family.

   The same is true of our Christian family, the church.  It is here that we receive the pronouncement of forgiveness; it is here we join in the holy meal; it is here where we find comfort and consolation when we need it and a place to share in joy when we feel it.  It is where we encourage one another and stir up love and good works just like our verse states.  This is why regular worship attendance is valuable. It connects us to each other. In a world that seeks to disconnect you, God is connecting you to Himself, to your fellow worshipper and to those who are in need. We are to comfort those who are in pain and to be comforted when we are in pain. So, do not neglect gathering to worship; it is a gift from God to benefit us in this world.

Dear Father, we are often ungrateful children who bicker and fight with each other.  Forgive us and move us to be your holy family here on earth.  Let our love for each other point to You as the source of our love through Your grace.  This we ask in the Name of our Brother Jesus, Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret